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A Chorus Line gets a new life at the University of Montana

I had just completed my sophomore year in high school when A Chorus Line first opened on Broadway in 1975, and truly fell in love with this Marvin Hamlisch/Michael Bennett classic when our glee club did a pair of its best songs, “One” and “What I did for Love.”  I could totally relate to the character of Diana, a Puerto Rican actress who, like many of us, just didn’t get improv.

When my daughter Grace was just two days old (in 1982), we took her with us for the touring company presentation of the musical in San Diego.  Although I have thought about the musical a few times over the years, I had all but forgotten its power until I attended the University of Montana School of Theatre & Dance and College of Visual Arts and Performing Arts production over the weekend.  It all came rushing back as my wife and I basked in the glory of this timeless musical.

Perfectly directed by John Kenneth DeBoer, who also plays the character Zach, with musical direction by UM alum John Knispel, UM’s A Chorus Line captured the essence and heart of the original production.  The show was wonderfully cast with a group of students that understood the story and presented it to the packed auditorium with all the wonder and pizzazz of the original Broadway cast.

With superb choreography by Nicole Bradley Browning and Heidi Jones Eggers, the simplistic but effective scenic and lighting design of Zack Aschim, Mike Monsos and Brian Gregoire, and the historically perfect costume design of Kersti Pearson, this show brought back all the positive memories of my earlier exposure and prompted me to sing along to every song.

Written before Hamlisch became a household name with his Oscar winning score for The Sting, the music of A Chorus Line set the bar for future Broadway shows, and propelled many of the songs, including “One” and “What I did for Love” into the pop music scene.

Even though A Chorus Line is a true ensemble piece, it still leaves room for some outstanding individual performances.  Among those in this production were Maria Miller’s portrayal of Diana, Carissa Marie Lund’s as Connie, Jourdan Nokleby’s as Sheila and the show-stopping performance of Colleen Reed Rosbarsky as Cassie.

Others who turned in memorable performances include DeBoer as Zach and Matt McDaniel as Paul.

The cast is so good they should consider taking the show on the road.  Everyone in Missoula should endeavor to catch one of this week’s closing performances on October 27, 28, 29, 30 or 31, all at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are available online through GrizTix or at the UMArts box office.  Don’t miss your chance to experience one of the most powerful musical productions ever written.

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